Journalist Ed Murrow: “Who owns the patent on this vaccine?” Jonas Salk: “Well, the people, I would say. There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?” -Jonas Salk 

I feel it is finally time to restart this journal/newsletter/blog whatever it is called, that I pretty much discontinued over the time of the pandemic. I realized in that time that I really do this more as a diary for me than for anyone else, that is why it is only my opinion. I am also sure there will be some who disagree with that, oh well write your own.

There was too much happening everywhere all at once to too many people, one million deaths just in the US and so many that were preventable. I wonder how some people live with themselves for infecting others after the solutions were made available, that was and is truly the tragedy. Here in Mexico we didn’t fight over masks or vaccines or distancing, it was like what was the point of arguing, it was about about what might help just one person. It really comes down to this, is my personal freedom really more important than another person’s life? It seems many don’t  think about the common good any more.

“When people are fanatically dedicated to political or religious faiths or any other kind of dogmas or goals, it’s always because these dogmas or goals are in doubt.” -Robert M. Pirsig

Even as the pandemic ebbs (since it will really never go away) here in Baja one can still see and feel it’s lingering affects, businesses that are closed, cobrebacas (masks) required, for which I am grateful. I haven’t had a cold or the flu for the last two plus years and I attribute that to to mask wearing and social distancing, so I will continue to use one, at least here I can do so without being hasseled unlike some friends in Arizona and Idaho, where it seems freedom is only if you believe what the extreme believes, a sad state of affairs.

In June of 2021 we traveled around the western US, hitting every western state except for Colorado. It was mostly a sightseeing trip to visit family and finally getting around to see Yellowstone, it was pretty but so many places really are, and we have seen a ton of those over the years we have been traveling. It is good that some places have been designated as national parks and monuments or our great grandchildren may have nothing left.

Here on the ranch we have been spared a lot of the polarization and division so prevalent in the US, mostly because we don’t bring it up as a topic. In the long run what does it matter anyway, issues that seem so important right now will be different in a couple of years and then those people will likely be arguing about something else and in the end it is really all just hot air and posturing.

“So many gods, so many creeds, So many paths that wind and wind, While just the art of being kind is all the sad world needs.” -Ella Wheeler Wilcox

I am saddened by the push to ban or restrict books, always a sure way to promote ignorance by pretending to attach virtue to it, and a perilous road to follow as the the evangeical right will doubtless find out to their chagrin and peril. What I have learned in 72 years is that the ones who they cliam they are protecting and sheltering are really the ones being harmed. Speaking of books I have gotten to the age that I can now re-read books from 20 or 30 years ago and they seem fresh and new. I haven’t figured out yet whether or not that is a good thing.

Another trip from the last year was that we decided our winters and springs here in Socorrito are at times too cold and too damp, of course, we do live right next to the ocean so some of that is to be expected right? We decided a road trip to southern Baja would help us look over the area on the Sea of Cortez side where it should be warmer and less humid and it was both of those. We stayed for two weeks in El Sargento/La Ventana, we didn’t know much about the area but it turns out to be a center for kite surfing and they are there by the hundreds:  novices, experts and everyone inbetween. I actually looked into taking up another sport but really at my age starting a new sport is crazy. I already have my mountain biking and ocean swimming so figured I would pass plus it is crazy expensive to get started in, like buy a used car expensive. The second two weeks we spent in La Paz, it was pretty cool and has one of the best malecons (board walk) in Mexico. Only disadvantage was you had to drive to get to any of the good beaches or even for good walking so that was not as fun.

What we did like was the warmer weather. To that end we started looking at places for next winter/spring and ended up leasing a place south of Santa Rosalia and north of Mulege in a little village called San Bruno (9 hours south of us), we will be there from the end of December until early May. We are going to try and make that a regular thing each winter/spring, but as always we can make all of the plans we want and then watch God laugh. Nevertheless we are now back on the ranch and waiting for the wind to die down so we can get some things done, swimming in the ocean has been challenging the last few weeks, the wind waves have been a big as the swells at times and with the water being 56 degrees I get out feeling like a block of ice, but the sun does warm me up in short order and I do have the dolphins who come around when I am out there so the yin and the yang.

I always keep adding to these things and they never seem to end when I think it should, I think of something else or we have something happen and then I delay and delay sending this out. So I am going to break that habit, maybe. Well, almost got it done and then we had dinner at a friends last evening and some of the old timers on the ranch were talking about the old days and some of the characters, who were and some still are, on the ranch. I think in some of the future newsletters I will bring in some of their stories of the early days moving to Baja and living in what was then more of a frontier than it certainly is now. There are times in the summer that it feels like we are overrun with gringos, the pandemic time was wonderful in that respect almost no tourists, no convoys of RV’s driving down the centerline, no herds of atv’s and side by sides, it was so peaceful and calm. Ah the good days likely will end this summer, alas.

“The less justified a man is in claiming excellence for his own self, the more ready he is to claim all excellence for his nation, his religion, his race or his holy cause. A man is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind off his own meaningless affairs by minding other people’s business.” -Eric Hoffer

take care and may you all walk in beauty

Tony